Six-time bank robber pleads guilty in federal court

A man who robbed a pregnant bank teller last year in Gig Harbor and led police on a chase filmed by a news helicopter has pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Tacoma, the U.S. Attorney’s Office reported Wednesday.

Sentencing for James R. Knox, 50, of Allyn, is set for May 18. If convicted, he could face a maximum of 20 years’ imprisonment, plus a $250,000 fine. It was his sixth bank robbery since 1988.

On Oct. 30, Knox entered Kitsap Bank wearing a mask, a hooded sweatshirt, a bicycle helmet and a backpack. He announced that he was robbing the bank and gestured with his hand in his pocket as if he had a gun, the U.S. Attorney’s Office reported.

Knox fled with $12,000 and rode his bicycle to a getaway car. Hidden in the stolen cash was a GPS transmitter, which helped police find him. He tried to outrun police during a high-speed chase through Tacoma, with speeds reaching 105 mph.

Knox abandoned his car near the Puyallup river and hid in some bushes, where police caught him. He was caught on film by both a Department of Transportation camera and a KIRO/7 news helicopter.